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Children's Services

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Through a contract with the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA), the Department of Human Services’ Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) is supporting a specialized training on the reporting requirements for incidents involving children served in Child Residential and Day Treatment Facilities. This training is designed for child residential facility staff, their related purchasing entities, law enforcement agencies, OCYF Regional Office Reps, MCO staff, and staff of other entities that interact with Child Residential and Day Treatment Facilities.

Title of Training: Reporting Requirements for Children Served in Residential Care Facilities

Training Hours: 3 Hours

Format: Live Virtual

Register for an upcoming Training:

Training Summary:
This training, intended for providers and other child serving entities, clarifies what allegations must be reported to ChildLine as suspected child abuse and/or HCSIS as a reportable incident, and further clarifies when an alternative plan of supervision must be put into place. This training also teaches minimal facts interviewing skills to better determine when to make a report, and then explains how those reports of suspected child abuse are categorized and handled at ChildLine. Lastly, internal follow-up recommendations and communication are discussed. Other entities that interact with these 3800 facilities are also welcome to attend – OCYF Regional Office Reps, Law Enforcement, MCOs, etc.

This training mirrors the information outlined in the OCYF Bulletin # 3800-21-01 issued January 19, 2021, and is meant as additional training (not a replacement for the mandated reporter training).

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

Christine H. Koterba, PhD, ABPP
Kristen Koskinson, PhD
Aaron McAllister, MS MD

Monday, November 3, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CST, 10:00 am –11 am MST, 9-10 am PST

Register Here

Presenter Bios:

Christine H. Koterba, PhD, ABPP, is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University. She is the attending inpatient neuropsychologist at NCH and provides neuropsychological consultation and assessment in inpatient and outpatient settings. She is also involved in the pre- and post-doctoral neuropsychological training programs. Her clinical interests include pediatric neuropsychology, acute recovery from brain injury, illnesses (COVID-19, long COVID), and other conditions that impact neurological functioning, and pediatric rehabilitation.

Kristen Hoskinson, PhD, a pediatric neuropsychologist, targets her research aims to improve understanding of the neuroanatomical and functional substrates that contribute to the constellation of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral sequelae of childhood neurologic injury, including pediatric brain tumor, traumatic brain injury, and complex congenital heart disease. She integrates neuroimaging methods with assessed and observable social and emotional functioning to improve early identification of those at elevated risk and at greatest need for intervention. Currently, her funded work focuses on integrating functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging of white matter integrity, with a particular focus on social cognitive and executive functions networks.

Aaron McAllister, MS MD, is a pediatric neuroradiologist in the Department of Radiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, providing world class care to patients. He is trained in general radiology and has completed fellowships in both pediatric radiology and pediatric neuroradiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He is board certified in both diagnostic radiology and pediatric diagnostic radiology. Dr. McAllister serves as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, as well as an adjunct assistant professor of Radiology at the School of Medicine at the University of Toledo Medical College.

Objectives
Following this course, participants will:

  • Be able to describe two common outcomes following diffuse axonal injury;
  • Be able to discuss areas of the brain involved in executive functions; and
  • Be able to define basic functions controlled by different areas of the brain.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Beginner–Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Register
Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

Attendees may wish to review Understanding the Basics of Neuro-imaging and Practical Applications for the Pediatric Rehabilitation Provider (6/8/2023) | IPRC prior to this session.

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Photo by Larry Crayton on Unsplash

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) recently launched an initiative focused on improving the outcomes that matter most: meeting the needs of children and families and keeping children safe. The goals of the initiative are to make sure that children and families have access to the support and services they need for children to grow and thrive in a safe home, reduce involvement with the child welfare system, and support successful transition out for those already involved in the child welfare system.

DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh invites you to upcoming listening sessions, where more details about the initiative will be shared. As part of these sessions, DHS will be seeking your feedback on this initiative, particularly involving actionable ideas around prevention, diversion, crisis intervention, and once involved, what is needed to successfully transition out of the child welfare system. An overview of the initiative can be found here. Please review these slides prior to the session.

Your voice matters, and your input will help shape the future of child welfare in our Commonwealth. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to support children and families across Pennsylvania.

How to Participate:

The PA Children and Families Initiative will host four public listening sessions. DHS encourages you to register for the session that corresponds to your region (see schedule below). However, if you are unable to attend your region’s designated session, you may register for another session that better fits your schedule.

There are two ways to provide feedback during the listening sessions:

  • You may submit comments using the chat function at any point during the session.
  • You may register to speak during the event. Each speaking slot is limited to two (2) minutes per participant. To maximize speaking opportunities, we ask that individuals (or organizations or providers) only sign up to speak at one (1) listening session. Speakers are also invited to contribute additional comments in the chat if two (2) minutes is not sufficient.

Speaking slots are limited and will be allocated as time allows. If you wish to speak, please indicate your interest in the registration form. After you register, you will receive an invitation to attend the session. Please note that only registered participants will be able to attend the event. Speakers will receive a confirmation email with further details.

Webinar Sessions: Please visit the link for your preferred session to register.

  • Central Region | Tuesday, September 23 | 2:00 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, Union, York
  • Western Region | Friday, September 26 | 1:00 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland
  • Southeast Region | Monday, September 29 | 2:30 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia
  • Northeast Region | Tuesday, September 30 | 3:30 pm [Register Here]
    • Counties Served: Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming

Your feedback is essential to this initiative, and DHS looks forward to your participation!

Please contact Emma Sharp with any questions.

RCPA, as part of a statewide provider and association coalition, has sent a letter to the PA Congressional Delegation regarding the extension of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit (EPTC). The coalition urges Congress to move quickly to pass legislation extending EPTCs that make marketplace plans more affordable for people who purchase their own health insurance; these are set to expire at the end of 2025.

If EPTCs are not extended, an estimated 270,000 Pennsylvanians are likely to become uninsured. Pennsylvania taxpayers end up paying for their care in one way or another because uninsured people are often forced to delay or avoid care for treatable conditions. They ultimately end up sicker and require more expensive care in hospitals, which leads to higher, uncompensated care costs for both hospitals and providers. In addition, they acquire medical debt and experience health complications that can jeopardize their employment or employability.

Read the letter here. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO Jim Sharp.